Silence breaks the heart
by kas7
Summary: An AU setting, where they find out the truth about many things.
1. Chapter one

Title: Silence breaks the heart

Disclaimer: don't own them, never did, never will

Notes: With my other stories - they are getting there, sorry that it is taking forever - but they shall be finished.

Warning: There is some physical abuse to children in this chapter and the death of a major character.

o o o

Chapter One

o o o

The heavens cried that night - weeping for the tortured souls that were suffering; weeping for the world that seemed to be the once beautiful heaven, now turned into the devil's playground.

Thunder rumbled in anger at the bitterness of man's cruel ways; the wind blew as the tears poured heavily on the ground. Lightning lit up the sky in rage as it showed no mercy, only hatred for what was happening.

As the heavens fought with its demons, two young children found themselves fighting with their own demons.

They huddled together in the corner inside the closet, trying to hide from the hatred; but no matter how hard they tried, they could still hear the shouting, screaming, and crying that came from the next room. They could hear the words of abuse, the shattering glass and the doors banging. Then an eerie silence fell upon them, like the silence before the storm hits.

They drew closer, praying for protection against the dark force that was approaching. They could hear the heavy footsteps coming towards them, then the unbearable sound of the heavy breathing right outside the closet door.

Angela huddled closer to her older brother for comfort. Vin held her tight, trying to give her comfort, a sense of protection; even though he could not provide her the safety she sought. Ten-year-old Tanner closed his eyes, wishing he could be somewhere else, but he knew wishes never came true.

He learnt the hard facts of life when he lost his mother five years ago, when he was forced from his home, from his friends, to the cold, dark orphanage. Then he was sent to different homes - one each year; and all five were horrible.

The fifth family were the Smiths: Maggie and Matthew. They had a pretty daughter of their own whom was in hospital when Vin first went to live with them. The girl had been hurt in an accident at home or so it seemed. A few days after Vin had gone to live with them, Matthew fetched the boy's new foster sister from hospital. Maggie stayed at home with Vin and he helped her bake cookies for the daughter's welcome home.

He remembered the first day he saw his new sister: she was so pale and so innocent, yet her eyes were so old and had a haunted look in them. She had her mother's blonde hair, with pale blue eyes and such fair skin. She was small for her age, even though she was only a few months younger than Vin; she looked like a little doll that could break at any second.

Matthew Smith was a mean, middle-aged man. He was tall, muscular, and in good shape, considering how much he drank a day. He had mean, dark eyes, just like his soul.

Maggie Smith was a kind and loving middle-aged woman. She had such a kind heart, such loving green eyes, and a warm smile. She had lovely blonde hair that shone in the sun - a perfect angel. She was slim and medium height, but she had such a presence around her, that made you feel warm inside. Her only downfall was her hope, the same hope that she had five years ago when her husband changed into the devil himself. Maggie hoped every day that he would change back into the man she knew, the man she loved; but day after day, he would not change, neither did her hope.

Vin was quickly pulled from his memories when Angela's grip tightened as they heard the door opening.

Time seemed to stand still as they watched as the lightning brightened up the room to reveal the look of hatred in Matthew's eyes, the same dark, blood-thirsty, cold eyes that stared at them each night.

Vin felt Angela tremble as Matthew's hand reached down to grab her arm. Vin tried to stop him from taking her, but his attempts were futile. He watched in horror as Matthew threw Angela hard into the wall, knocking her unconscious, as her body fell limp on the floor. Vin looked up to see the man's gaze on him. He tried to make a run for it, but was stopped when a huge hand grabbed his arm, sending him to the floor.

"Don't kn-know why I even bother with you, boy," Matthew's angry voice was slurred by the alcohol.

Vin knew he would only make things worse by arguing back, so he just lay there, hoping Matthew would pass out; but he never did.

Matthew's rage boiled as he took off his belt. Vin curled himself into a ball, as Matthew raised his hand.

Vin heard the belt's sickening sound as pain ripped through his body. After each hit, his back exploded with unbearable pain. It felt as if his back was on fire - fire that raged across his body, that caused Vin to want to cry out; but he never did, knowing that would just cause more pain.

Finally after what seemed like forever, darkness surrounded him, engulfing him in its wake, sending him into a world of peace...

o o o

Well, the others will be in the next chapter.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter two

o o o

Chapter 2

o o o

Kids' voices could be heard as their parents dropped them off at the campsite.

Twelve-year-old Chris Larabee got out of his parents' Dodge Ram. He had blond hair and wore black shoes, black jeans, and a black T-shirt. The most interesting thing about him though, was his amazing green eyes - they could send shivers down your spine.

Chris looked around the camp, then looked back at his parents with a pleading look. "Why can't I just stay at home?" Chris asked.

His mother, who was in her early thirties, with long blond hair and soft green eyes, turned to Chris. "Because it's time to move out of the shadows," she told him softly.

Chris looked at his father, who just shook his head. "Sorry, but if I don't follow along, Mrs Wells will kill me," Michael Larabee said in his own defence.

Chris sighed as he walked to the boot and grabbed his bag.

"Have fun - it's only for a month. You know Miss Nettie; and Buck is here as well," Elizabeth Larabee said with a smile.

Chris just shrugged his shoulders.

"Come on, you'll love it. I'm going to miss you so much," Elizabeth said as she gave her son a hug.

"Mom!" Chris said in embarrassment as he saw some kids looking at him.

"Sorry, Honey. Please try to have fun!" Elizabeth begged, as she got back into the car.

"Take care, Son," Michael said as he waved, before getting into the driver's side.

"Remember to call!" Elizabeth shouted as they drove off.

Chris waved until he saw them disappear from view. Then he let out a tired sigh.

He looked around the camp, trying to find Buck, his friend. The camp was situated in the middle of a wood and was far, far away from civilisation. In front of him was the main house, which was wooden and there was little campsites on either side.

He looked at the sign just above him. "Welcome to Camp Canon," Chris read out aloud. He just shook his head as he looked around again. He saw many other children his age and his gaze stopped when he noticed a few girls gathering in a crowd. He looked past the girls and noticed a twelve-year-old boy with dark brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt, with blue jeans. One word came to Chris's mind when he saw the grin on the kid's face. "Buck," Chris said as he shook his head.

Chris looked around some more, forgetting Buck for the moment. He saw that parents were still dropping off their kids. On his right he noticed a path and Chris started to walk along it since no one was looking. The path was narrow, with trees and bushes growing by the sides. The farther he walked, the darker it became.

Chris had been walking for about ten minutes, when he heard noises coming from the side. He stopped immediately, trying to hear what was being said. He couldn't hear what exactly was being said, but he heard the anger in the tone. Knowing that he couldn't turn away, Chris decided it best if he went off the path; so he headed into the bushes, hoping that it would provide cover.

As he got closer, he noticed two big kids holding a skinny kid in their grasp. Chris was just about to go and help the kid, when he felt someone watching him. He turned to his right.

All that Chris noticed were the blue eyes as their eyes met. Chris hadn't ever met the kid before, but he felt as if he had; a silent communication was held, both of them knew what to do next.

Chris turned back to the two bullies.

Nathan Jackson wanted to curse himself for wandering around in the woods by himself. Now he was caught by these two bullies.

"I suggest you release him," a strong, unwavering voice said from behind him.

Nathan turned to see a boy of about twelve standing there, dressed entirely in black.

"Oh, yeah? You and what army?" one bully asked.

"This one," a voice came from behind them.

Nathan and the two bullies jumped as they heard the voice. They turned to see a skinny kid holding a slingshot, ready to fire.

"I'm not warning you again," Chris ordered.

'I'll give you to the count..." the boy continued.

"...Of five," Chris finished.

"Four,"

"Three,"

"Two," they spoke together.

"ONE," they both threatened.

The two bullies decided against staying any longer as they released Nathan and ran past Chris.

Nathan smiled at his saviours. "Thanks," he said.

Nathan looked at the kid behind him - he had long brown hair that came to his shoulders and he wore old brown shoes, old worn brown pants, and a light brown T-shirt, which was hidden by a brown coat. The thing that caught Nathan's eyes was the little boy's blue eyes.

"Vin Tanner," the blue-eyed boy greeted.

"Nathan Jackson," the boy whom they'd just rescued said.

"Chris Larabee," the blond dressed in black greeted.

Chris and Vin looked at each other; it was the first time in years that they felt safe.

o o o

To be continued...


	3. Chapter three

Disclaimer: Don't own them, not making any money from this either. Anyone you don't know is mine.

Notes: Everything shall be explained later on in the story. There are still a few more chapters, hope you like this story. Oh, and the unexpected!

And thank you to

Lu-Larabee-Standish and Crazy for their reviews.

o o o

Chapter Three

o o o

"I just want to thank you guys again. I think you saved my life," Nathan gratefully said to the boys who had rescued him from his tormentors.

Vin and Chris looked at Nathan; he had dark chocolate eyes, a dark brown tan and wore dark brown pants with a pale blue top.

In the distance they could hear the camp's bell ringing.

"Well, we better be going before we're late and get into trouble," Nathan said.

Chris and Vin nodded.

Nathan began to walk and Chris followed; however, something felt wrong.

Chris stopped.

"Are you coming?" he asked as he turned around.

Nathan stopped and turned around to see Chris's suddenly confused expression. He looked around - all he saw there was the little path and the little plot where he had nearly died.

"What's wrong, Chris?" Nathan asked in confusion.

"Vin," he spoke as he started to look around.

Suddenly it made sense - Vin had just disappeared. Nathan turned and walked back; he and Chris quickly searched, but they couldn't find Vin anywhere.

"That is spooky," Nathan said as he shivered.

Chris nodded in agreement. The thing that bothered him was that nothing moved - even the leaves in the trees were still. It was too quiet and it wasn't natural.

"Chris, we have to head back to the camp; maybe he took a short cut?" Nathan offered.

Chris didn't say anything, but he started to walk up the path that led back to camp.

Nathan had one last glance around the area. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he shivered again, before he ran to catch up to Chris. Nathan didn't know why, but he felt safer with Chris near him.

They walked along the remainder of the path in silence, neither of them wanting to make a sound. Both could feel that something was not right - it was too quiet. There were no noises - no wind, no crickets, no bugs, nothing.

As they walked, they could hear children's voices in the distance; "At least we know we're on the right path," Nathan joked.

Chris remained silent; his thoughts were still on the mysterious Vin Tanner. He didn't know why, but something about Vin made him feel normal - and he hadn't felt like that since before the accident that claimed the lives of his older sister, Sarah, and his little brother, Adam.

They saw the clearing up ahead and felt slightly relieved that they were nearly there.

As they reached the camp, they noticed that everyone was standing in the centre of the camp, with a few adults standing on a wooden ramp, which was near the main wooden house.

Chris and Nathan quickly made their way to the crowd, hoping not to be caught.

When they got there, Chris saw a familiar face. "Buck," Chris called out to the boy who was standing in front of him.

Buck Wilmington turned to see his childhood friend. "Chris Larabee, how are you?" Buck asked with a smile.

"Fine, Buck. This is Nathan Jackson. Nathan, this is Buck Wilmington." Chris made the introductions.

"Pleased to meet ya," Buck greeted as he shook hands with Nathan.

"Same here," Nathan said.

All conversations stopped when they heard a whistle being blown. Everyone's attention went to the adults.

"Good Afternoon everyone, I'm Orrin Travis, the owner of this camp. I have a few rules for you all. At night, there will be an alarm that will go off at six and everyone must be at their own camps then. Following the alarm, there will be an inspection. Afterwards you are to remain in your camp until morning, when another alarm will go off. There will be activities set up for you during the daytime and you will also have some time to yourselves. Now, Mrs Wells is going to sort you out into groups," Travis explained.

Chris watched as Travis spoke. The man, who was in his early forties, wore brown pants with a pale green top, which was covered with a dark green jersey.

Chris turned to the older woman. She wore a blue skirt with a white frilly top. She was in her forties too and had slightly greying hair tied up in a bun.

He smiled when he saw her. Nettie worked with his mom, and sometimes she would come home and have supper with them.

"All right, Children. When I call your names, I want you to head in the direction I tell you. You will wait at your camps until I come. Right, Group One: Jessica Evans, Allison Collins, Michelle Phillips, Samantha Taylor, Janet Fraiser and Elizabeth Webster," Nettie read out.

Chris smiled when he saw Buck's eyes stare at the six girls who were just leaving.

"Man! I wanted to be in that group!" Buck moaned.

Chris just shook his head.

Buck and Chris were childhood friends. They grew up together and both went to the same nursery, same junior school, and soon, same high school. It did help that both mothers worked together, so the boys were like brothers.

Chris watched as another group left.

"I wonder if we will be in the same group?" Buck asked Chris.

"Don't know," Chris answered.

"Group Seven: Nathan Jackson, JD Dunne, Ezra Standish, Josiah Sanchez, Buck Wilmington and Chris Larabee," Nettie called out.

"Looks like we're stuck together," Buck joked.

"Yep, I just wonder who the others are." Nathan spoke.

Buck and Chris looked at Nathan, then back at each other.

"Don't know, I just hope that they aren't geeks," Buck joked.

"Let's find out," Chris suggested.

o o o

To be continued...


	4. Chapter four

Disclaimer: Don't own the Seven...

Notes: I just want to say a Huge thank you to Lu for all her help.

And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed:

Crazy, Mia, Sabrina Mecum, bountyhunterslady, Lu-Larabee-Standish.

o o o

Chapter Four

o o o

Chris and the others headed to the campsite. Their camp was situated in the woods, near a small river. When they got there, there was a little fireplace, a shed where their bathroom was and a small wooden house. Inside there was six beds and cupboards for their clothes.

The beds were small, but the space between the beds was big, so there was plenty of space. Chris took the bed in the corner, where he could see the room from every angle. Buck took the bed to one side, which was still close to Chris. Nathan took the bed on the opposite side to Buck.

They just got comfortable when they heard a little boy's voice. They watched as a nine-year-old kid walked into the room. He had long dark hair that came to his shoulders, was small built and wore blue jeans with a large white T-shirt.

"Hi. Wow, this is so amazing, I mean, I've never been camping before and this is just so cool. When my aunt first told me about this, I nearly died because I was told that I couldn't bring my computer and TV, but then I thought it would be cool to go out, be adventurous and explore stuff.."

Chris, Nathan and Buck watched dumbfounded as they watched the kid drop his bag down on the bed next to Buck's bed, as he continued talking. After two minutes, the kid was still speaking.

"WHOA!" Buck yelled.

The kid immediately fell silent.

"What's your name there kid?" Buck asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I'm JD, JD Dunne," JD introduced himself.

Buck smiled. "Well, Kid, I'm Buck Wilmington, this here is Chris Larabee, and the other guy there is Nathan Jackson," Buck introduced.

"Hi," JD said as he shook hands with everyone.

Just as JD shook hands with Nathan, a tall kid walked into the room.

He was tall, about fourteen years old and had short blond hair with soft blue eyes. He wore black jeans with a pale yellow top.

"Morning, I'm Josiah Sanchez," Josiah introduced.

"Josiah, that you?" Nathan asked in surprise.

"Nathan, Nathan Jackson?" Josiah asked.

"Yeah, that's me," Nathan said happily.

Chris, JD and Buck watched as the two kids gave each other a warm handshake.

"You two know each other?" JD asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we're in the same class," Nathan said happily.

Josiah smiled as he dropped his bags on the bed next to Nathan's.

"That means just one more person to meet," JD said.

Buck frowned as he quickly counted everyone. "Guess you're right, Kid," Buck said.

"Don't call me 'Kid'."

"Sure thing, Kid."

"BUCK!" JD moaned.

"KID!" Buck copied.

"STOP!" Chris yelled.

"Oh, come on Chris - it's just like the old days," Buck joked with Chris

"You two know each other?" JD asked.

"Yep, me and Chris grew up together. Best buddies," Buck told the others.

"He follows me around. Can't get rid of him," Chris joked.

"Now that hurts. Come on, you must admit - you're glad I'm here," Buck said.

"I know I'm going to regret this," Chris warned Buck.

JD looked at the small room, then back to the others. "I thought we would be in some huge hall where we would have to share with more people, not that I'm complaining, I like this option better, I was just wondering how they are going to control us. Not that we need controlling, but..."

"Breathe! JD, Breathe. Breathe in, breathe out, in and out," Buck interrupted as he instructed JD how to breathe, worried that the boy would turn blue in the face at any moment.

Josiah and Nathan just smiled; things were looking interesting.

"Mr's Jackson, Sanchez, Wilmington, Dunne, Larabee - I am Ezra P. Standish. It's a pleasure to meet you," a new voice greeted them.

Everyone turned to see an eleven-year-old boy standing in the door way. He wore black pants and a white shirt, with a red coat. He had short brown hair, and amazing green eyes. When he smiled, everyone saw his gold tooth.

Everyone just stared at Ezra, not knowing what exactly to say, or to do.

"Hello Ezra, I'm JD. Hey wait - how did you know our names?" JD asked.

"Mrs Wells informed me," Ezra answered.

"Oh. Well, that's Buck, Chris, Nathan and that's Josiah," JD said as he pointed to each one.

Ezra just smiled to each one.

JD looked at Ezra's feet to see three bags. "You need any help with those bags?" JD asked.

Ezra looked at JD suspiciously - he tried to read JD, but only got good intentions. "I would appreciate it Mr. Dunne," Ezra thanked.

"It's JD," JD informed. He hadn't failed to notice the formal way Ezra had addressed him and he couldn't get along with someone who kept calling him 'Mr. Dunne'.

"I know, Mr. Dunne," Ezra replied, silently refusing to call the younger boy by his initials.

"Do you ALWAYS speak like that?" JD asked.

"Yes, Mr. Dunne, I am afraid this is my means of communication," Ezra explained.

JD helped Ezra with his bags.

Once everyone was settled in, no-one knew what to do, so they all sat down on their beds, waiting for some instructions.

"So why are you here?" JD asked Josiah.

"My parents thought it would be good to reach out - meet new friends and experience something different," Josiah explained.

"I'm here because my mom wants me to get out and meet new people. Also so she can work out of the country to earn some money," Buck explained.

"I'm here to meet new friends and to get out and about a bit. Normally I would be reading medical journals, so I can learn to be a doctor. So my parents dropped me here to get some practice around people," Nathan said.

"I'm here because my mom died two years ago and I went to live with my aunt - and well, since then, I've spent every moment indoors, by the computer, TV or anything electronic. So she thought it would be good to get away from that. And to meet new people," JD explained.

"Sorry about your mom," Buck said sadly.

"Don't worry, it was her time. Don't get me wrong, I miss her, but she explained why she had to go. So I'm okay," JD said

"I am here, not by choice, but because my mother had to go away on business and since I was in the way and this camp was opened, she thought it would be a wonderful experience for me to try my gift among my fellow peers," Ezra spoke.

Everyone looked at Chris.

Chris just glared at Buck, then left the room.

"Chris is here because he needs to live again. Since the car crash he has been hiding. So his parents had to force him out in the open," Buck explained for Chris.

"What happened?" JD asked.

"Sara, Chris's sister, was driving. Adam, their younger brother, was sitting in the front seat, Chris sat at the back. A truck lost its brakes and hit them head on. Killed Adam, Sara died in hospital and Chris was in hospital for a long time, but he survived," Buck said sadly.

"Survivor's guilt," Josiah said sadly.

"Yep, so that's why he's not in a good mood. Oh and don't get him angry. You don't want to see his glare. Damn, that boy's glare can cut down mountains," Buck joked.

Chris came back a little later, the others were all joking around just having fun; Chris sat down, but didn't join in. He wished he was home, in his room; he didn't want to go out. He knew it wasn't his fault that they died, he just felt numb. His demons were controlling him. He was lost in the shadows, and nothing or no one could save him.

After an hour of joking and getting to know each other, Nettie came into the camp and everyone went quiet.

"Good Morning, boys. As you know, this camp is to survive the outdoors. But we are going to be kind. We have given you this camp and the essentials. For the next month, you are to remain here, and explore, within these boundaries," she said giving them a map with instructions.

"The flags show where to go if you need any of us. The red lines mean that's the end - do not pass the lines. The yellow spots show where you can fish and blue is for washing your dishes. There is a washing machine at the office for your clothes and blankets. Good luck. Oh, and you must be back at ten. There will be an alarm. When the alarm goes, you've got ten minutes to get here; after those ten minutes, we are coming to do a head count. If one of you is missing, we will do a search. If one of you get hurt or lost, blow the whistle - long blows - and we will come. Do you understand those rules?" Nettie asked.

"Yes Mrs Wells," they all replied

"It's 'Nettie', if any of you need to talk, or just need to say something. Problems or whatever, I am here. You can also go to Travis, Davies or Potter," Nettie explained.

With nothing left to say, she said goodbye to them and left for the next camp; as soon as she left the others started to talk again.

After a while JD, got bored. "Lets go and explore," JD asked; everyone looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders, no one really minded what they did next.

"Let's go then," Buck spoke for everyone.

They all headed out; then they walked and walked. They looked at their surroundings, it was beautiful, so peaceful: trees were everywhere and bushes surrounded most of the area. They could hear the river in the distance, as well as the wildlife.

They kept on going, and Ezra started to moan about the dirt, and his clothing.

"JD, STOP! We're by the red lines," Nathan said, as he eyed the red mark.

"Oh, can't we just go a little bit deeper?" JD asked.

The others looked at Chris.

"Why not, but we stop when we start to lose the red marks," Chris said, taking charge.

They walked a while longer and stopped when they saw a stream. They stopped and had a little drink, and washed their hot faces.

They were just relaxing when a voice came from behind them.

o o o

To be continued...


End file.
